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Our most recent Box Break is of 2008/09 Upper Deck SP Rookie Threads Basketball. Watch our own "Box Break Brad" Lohr and Mike Schopp of "The Hobby" ripping into a box of 2008/09 UD SP Rookie Threads Basketball.
You can win all the cards of this break for free. Here's what you have to do to be entered: Leave a comment below on this blog post answering the following question: What is your favorite basketball card box of all time? It can be old or new, just tell us why.
On June 1st we will randomly select a winner who will receive all the cards from this box for free!
Thanks for watching!
We have one more box break coming – 2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces Football Cards. After that, all box break contests will be open until June 1st when we draw some random winners.
*Contest Void where prohibited
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[supsystic-tables id='44']
Note: The above prices are for reference only. Taxes, parking fees, and gratuity are not included. Airport pick-up services are subject to $25 Meet And Greet surcharge. Actual prices quoted by our staff or our online booking portal may vary based on current promotions, travel date, pick up location, and additional requests. Not the route you're looking for? Return to our route list or the Urban Limousine & Transportation home page.
Travelling between Pemberton, BC, and Vancouver International Airport (YVR) has never been this easy, luxurious, or affordable! Whether you're flying out, stopping for a visit, or coming home, our Urban Transportation services cater to your every need. All our vehicles have been modified to fit even the largest of suitcases without sacrificing comfort. We've driven entire families and sports teams before so airport transportation is definitely one of our specialties. Our local drivers know Pemberton, Squamish, Whistler, and YVR like the back of their hand so you'll always make it on time. We look forward to providing exceptional airport transportation service for your next trip!
Travel Distance: 166 km
Estimated Travel Time: 2 hour 20 min
Choose from our amazing add-ons to enhance your travel experience:
Airport Pick-Up service is subject to a $25.00 Meet and Greet surchage and parking fees.
If you arrive from Domestic flight :
When you come down to Baggage Carousel, You will find our driver holding your name sign. He will then guide you to limousine / bus parking.
If you arrive from International flight :
After clearing the customs and immigration and getting your baggage, you will enter an area called the International Reception Lounge. Follow the exit sign and proceed through the glass doors. Keep walking to two Totem Poles. You will be able to find our driver holding your name sign by the Wine Bar called "Vino Volo". He will then guide you to limousine / bus parking.
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subset: commoncrawl


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In celebration of Nono's work Southbank Centre presents a six month festival that begins with one of Venice's first great spatially inspired compositions - Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610 - and culminates in the long awaited UK premiere of Prometeo. A major theme of the Festival that emerges is Venice itself, the city that dominated Nono's life and that has over the centuries been home to a unique series of musical spaces.
[read more - via southbankcentre.co.uk][The Luigi Nono Archive]
[Guardian Review]


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31 Aug Captain EO To Return To Disneyland January 2010
I am hearing that Michael Jackson's Captain EO will be returning to Disneyland in January of 2010. They were trying to get it into Tomorrow land by Halloween of this year, but they couldn't get it done.
The official announcement will be in 2 weeks at the D23 expo. The unofficial announcement is coming to you at Drfunkenberry.com where news is meant to be broken consistently.-Dr.FB


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This article is more than 1 year old
Cobbler pieces together mass Red Hat Linux installations
Deploy Windows and then obliterate it
Summit One of the main community-driven projects that prompted Red Hat to open source its Satellite code today was the Linux boot server, Cobbler.
Cobbler is a nifty piece of code that assembles all the usual setup bits needed for a large network installation like TFTP, DNS, PXE, installation trees etc. and automates the process. It can even generate DHCP configurations to assign specific IPs to MAC addresses.
The tool can be configured for PXE (preboot execution environment), reinstallations, and virtualized installs using Xen or KVM. However, the operating systems supported are limited to Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), Fedora, and CentOS.
"Community ideas helped make it what it is," said Red Hat's Michael DeHaan, author of Cobbler. "It started off small and has grown in a lot of interesting ways. Now we're talking about large scale data center management."
Cobbler uses a command line to do its work, but there's also a web-based application for those who prefer the comfort of a GUI. The web-app, however, doesn't yet have all the functions that can be done through command line. It's at about 90 per cent, according to DeHaan.
Users can set up custom installations hands free using a Kickstart template system based on Cheetah.
Cobbler also comes with a helper tool called koan, which locates the differences between virtualized and non-virtualized systems.
"I could install a virtual system based on the same profile of a physical system, and track it all in one place," said DeHaan.
Cobbler's future roadmap includes wider OS/distribution support.
"There's some more stuff we can do for other distributions. There's that OS from Redmond, right — it's an unfortunate reality that it exists, but we can help people deploy it, up until the point they wipe it completely off the face of the Earth."
Future releases will also include improvements to the web-app. DeHaan invites anyone with good ideas for Cobbler to join the community and pitch them.
That group may expand with the launch of Spacewalk. DeHaan expects Cobbler to be a part of the enterprise Satellite service by Q1 of 2009.
Cobbler's community site, with the software and a project Wiki, is available here. ®


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What is your fave set of this new release?
For today's Stampede, I used a few sets from our collection -- the new Lights Out and a border from Stitches. The dashed line is from Polar Pals.
Hanging bulbs have always had a nostalgic and romantic feel for me. And that sentiment? Perfection, don't you think?
And here's another using using the new Hustle and Full House. Yay, I covered all 4 sets today!
Time to send you off along on the Stampede. The first stop is our guest designer this month, one of my favorite people in the
Here's the full Stampede list, make sure you visit each of them to absorb all the new inspiration and to increase your chances of winning one of those gift certificates! :)
Karolyn Loncon, JJ Bolton, Geralyn Sy, Jenn Biederman, Cheiron Brandon, Alice Wertz, Mariana Grigsby, Savannah O'Gwynn, Pearl Lui, Lea Lawson


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Just as You, we believe that sport builds strength and forges character. For the last two years we have been pursuing the idea of upbringing through physical education. We are facilitating regular sport classes for young people from socially deprived backgrounds. Thanks to Non Iron already more then 200 kids and youngsters participate in regular physical activities in variety of sports disciplines. Run for our foundation and help us finance another year of sport activities for kids. Together we can support a better "start" into their lives. Run for our kids and become their hero. You will not find greater fans! więcej »


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Thank you all for your kind words about the bookshelves! Some of you commented on how lucky we were that the Billys fit perfectly in the bump outs that flank the fireplace. The true story is neither side was a perfect fit. On the right side, we had to cut off two inches of the outer most bookshelf, so that a pair would fit in that nook.
And then the bump out to to left of the fireplace was too big for a pair to fit snuggly. There was about about 16" of leftover space that I wasn't quite sure what to do with. I didn't want to add more shelves because of the opening to the kitchen. Luckily, it was right around Michael's birthday when we were trying to figure this all out. One of his presents was a vintage ukelele I ordered off eBay and when it arrived I thought the wood grain was so pretty that it was a shame to hide it. ((lightbulb!!)) So I grabbed a couple guitar hooks and a small one made for ukeleles at the music shop down the street, and while Michael was at work I installed the guitars on the wall in the nook space. His guitar, acoustic bass and the new ukelele fit perfectly, one on top of the other.
Michael is a really talented musician and I love having instruments around the house so he can keep up with his playing. This hook-hanging solution has been perfect because the guitars are protected, but they're still easily accessible.
I also love how the three different depths here (the wall, bookshelf and fireplace) are outlined by the dentil moulding. I'm telling you, just putting up those 5.75 measly inches of cheapy crown moulding completely transformed this room. My mom and I both agreed that suddenly it felt like the house was an old brownstone and not a bad condo from the 70s. I'm dying to do the baseboards now and maybe some paneling like we talked about before. Also, I promise there's a crown moulding tutorial coming soon. There was a bit of a learning curve for me in this first room, but now I'm tackling the garden level and I feel like I have some good pointers to share.


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Clean Pro Oklahoma City
Best Gutter Cleaning Service in Oklahoma City OK !
Clean Pro Oklahoma City is the leading provider of professional and affordable gutter cleaning in the Oklahoma City OK area. Years of experience, timely service, attention to detail, respect for your property, and concern for safety are the qualities that separate us from the competition. We provide affordable gutter cleaning results near you.
Oklahoma City ( (listen)), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and is the 8th largest city in the Southern United States. The population grew following the 2010 census and reached 687,725 in the 2020 census. The Oklahoma City metropolitan area had a population of 1,396,445, and the Oklahoma City–Shawnee Combined Statistical Area had a population of 1,469,124, making it Oklahoma's largest municipality and metropolitan area by population. Oklahoma City's city limits extend somewhat into Canadian, Cleveland, and Pottawatomie counties, though much of those areas outside the core Oklahoma County area are suburban tracts or protected rural zones (watershed).
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Square CZ Stud Earrings
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Our jewelry is durable and high in quality. However, it is important to treat it with care to keep it looking good as time goes on. Jewelry should be removed when bathing or applying lotions and perfumes to ensure a long-lasting shine.
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Our jewelry is made from the highest-quality materials, including surgical-grade stainless steel, titanium, and sterling silver. We also offer a range of gold-plated and rose gold-plated options for those who love a bit of luxury. All of our jewelry is 100% hypoallergenic, so you can wear it with confidence and without any fear of allergic reactions.
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Yes, we provide order tracking details for all orders. As soon as your order is shipped, you will receive an email with tracking information. You can use this information to keep an eye on the status and location of your order.
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Baked Falafel with Spicy Feta Yogurt Dip.
I am giddy over today.
Guess what?
It might be Monday but it's one more day closer to March and therefore one more day closer to spring. And that's just one day closer to summer and once day closer to a beach and one day closer to sun and mojitos and swimsuits and, perhaps most importantly, NEON.
Yes. Neon everything. Well, neon everything except for my food.
I'm holding back everything in my soul to keep from buying an obviously hot pink or yellow handbag.
(talk me into, I mean out of, it.)
So. Besides eating my weight in banana bread, this weekend was stupidly uneventful. It was super nice to be able to step outside without my nose freezing off though. I will say that. I pretty much did nothing besides make some killer burgers and a double batch of this falafel last night to have for snacking purposes. To feed my brain. Oh and speaking of brains I also spent a large chunk of time prepping myself to watch the Walking Dead, since it's real life and all. I'm convinced that show is on TV just to destroy the human heart.
Anyhoo —> falafel.
Let's talk about it!
I straight up adore what you see here. Beans, feta, herbs, the works. Some of my favorite things and maybe next time I should make some bacon falafel? Because then my life may be complete.
The damage I did on this tray was unreal. It's one of my easiest recipes to make – especially at the beginning of the week – and the versatility for meals is endless. I'll make a batch and throughout the next few days end up eating it on salads, in warm pitas, as a snack with some feta dip or even as a side to eggs with breakfast.
I'll even eat it cold and for me, that is huge. I eat nothing cold. I don't even like my yogurt to be cold. I don't even eat pizza cold. If there was a way for ice cream to not be cold… well, you get the drift. No can do.
Also, I'd like to cannonball into this dip. Have a nice little cheesy swim.
In a shocking twist, I will tell you that I'm not totally in love with fried falafel. Surprise. It's a very unusual preference of mine but… it is what it is. Baked is where it's at, but if you'd like, you can definitely throw these in a hot skillet with some olive oil and go to town. Do you!
And I'll do me… which involves ridiculous amounts of feta dip and a spoon.
Baked Falafel with Spicy Feta Dip
- 2 (14 oz cans) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 1 large egg
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 cup whole wheat or all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
spicy feta dip
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 8 ounces feta, crumbled
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- fresh parsley + crushed red pepper for garnish
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, garlic, onions, egg, lemon juice, parsley, cilantro, oil, salt, pepper, cumin and paprika. Pulse a few times until crumbly but not pureed. Add in half of the flour and baking powder and pulse a few more times until combine. Repeat with remaining flour and baking powder.
- Once the mixture is combined, scoop out about 2 tablespoons worth and form it into a small patty or ball. Place the falafel on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, until slightly crisp on top and cooked through.
spicy feta dip
- In the same food processor (I just wipe/wash mine out while the falafel are baking), add the yogurt, feta, olive oil, salt, pepper and cayenne. Pulse and blend until combined, scraping down the sides if needed. I don't blend the feta completely because I like a bit of texture, but you can do so if you'd like. Scoop the feta into a bowl and give it an extra drizzle of olive oil. Garnish with the parsley and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper.
- As a note, if you prefer your falafel fried, you can easily pan fry these in a bit of olive oil.
Did you make this recipe?
Be sure to follow @howsweeteats on instagram and tag #howsweeteats. You can also post a photo of your recipe to our facebook page.
I appreciate you so much!
because I like a little falafel with my dip.


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Following a successful four-session guitar course in October, Skunk Anansie guitarist and founder member Ace has announced details of the next Ace Guitar Academy course, set for 10-13 December 2013.
The four evening course entitled Tips, Tricks and Riffs will be taught by the man himself in central London from 7:30-9:30 each night.
This is an exclusive course with just 5 places, with an ability level ranging from good beginner to intermediate. The complete price is £320 for all four evenings.
Check out the Ace Guitar Academy website to find out more, email or visit Ace's Facebook for booking details.


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From rugby to motor racing, from swimming to tennis – whatever the sport, major sporting events around the world have one thing in common: rows of photographers with white Canon super-telephoto lenses. They're so well established, they almost define the sidelines in many sports.
"There's a perception that the big lenses at sporting events should be white. That's what you expect to see," says Mike Burnhill, Professional Imaging Product Specialist at Canon Europe. "Even in sports computer games, the animated photographers around the virtual pitch have white lenses, because that's what you see in real life."
It's not just sports, of course, where this is true, but also photojournalism, nature and wildlife photography – wherever telephoto lenses are the norm, you'll see the iconic Canon white lens paint. It's been that way for decades, and continues in the latest Canon RF super-telephoto lenses, the Canon RF 400mm F2.8 L IS USM and Canon RF 600mm F4 L IS USM. But have you ever stopped to wonder: just why are Canon lenses white?
There is actually a very important quality-related reason for that distinctive Canon white lens paint, and the story behind it is a tale of innovation in pursuit of imaging perfection.


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If you've been counting on your daily dose of merlot to stave off mortality, you might want to consider Plan B.
The links between red wine and longevity aren't nearly as strong as they once seemed, according to new research in the journal Nature. In fact, the research calls into question the whole mechanism used to explain wine's power to extend life.
Sorry, oenophiles.
This all has to do with some natural proteins called sirtuins. (That's pronounced sir-TWO-ins in American English, in case you're reading this out loud at a bar.) Yeast carry a version. So do worms, mice and people.
About 10 years ago, scientists noticed that an extra helping of sirtuins seemed to help living things live longer. And there was some evidence that a substance in red wine called resveratrol could crank up sirtuin production.
Then, in 2006, a Harvard researcher named David Sinclair reported that obese mice that got doses of resveratrol lived longer than fat mice who didn't — about 30 percent longer.
The study was published in Natureand reported by media around the world. The assumption was that what was good for fat mice would also be good for thin animals, or even people.
As a result, sales of red wine jumped and a biotechnology company founded by Sinclair and others to develop the substance as a drug became extremely valuable. In 2008, the drug company GlaxoSmithKline bought Sinclair's company, Sirtris, for $720 million.
But over the years, some scientists had begun to question whether sirtuins really were the key to extending life. Some studies of sirtuins even suggested they didn't affect lifespan.
And this week, Naturepublished research that offers a strong rebuttal to the idea.
The centerpiece is a study by a team including David Gems, a geneticist who studies aging at University College London. The team attempted to replicate some of the early experiments with worms and fruit flies.
"We could create worms and flies with elevated levels of this sirtuin protein," Gems says. But, he adds, "They were not long-lived."
The reason that animals in the original studies lived longer, Gems says, is that they had genetic mutations that had nothing to do with sirtuins. And this puts the proteins in a very different light, he says.
"What this should do is act as a cap on the idea that they are important in the biology of aging," Gems says.
It also "blows apart" the idea that scientists have figured out the nature of aging, says Scott Pletcher a geneticist at the University of Michigan who wrote an article that accompanies the new Sirtuin research in Nature.
Some of the researchers who did the early work on sirtuins disagree with that conclusion. But they concede that there were genetic changes in some of the animals in those early studies.
"One strain did have a problem and so we redid everything," says Leonard Guarente from MIT, who is on the science advisory board of Sirtris.
When that strain was removed from the results, Guarente says, sirtuins still produced a life-extending effect, but it was "in the 10 to 15 percent range rather than the 30 percent range."
People shouldn't give up on sirtuin drugs though — especially people who eat too much, or have a high-fat diet, Guarente says.
He says a primary goal of the research on sirtuins was to develop drugs that could prevent diseases associated with aging, like diabetes and heart disease. As a result, many of the experiments have looked at drugs that affect sirtuins in animals that are obese or eat a lot of fat.
And those studies show that sirtuin drugs do make a difference, Guarente says.
"We're treating diseases," he says. "We're not treating aging itself."
Other scientists agree that sirtuin drugs do show promise in preventing diseases in high-risk individuals. In theory, that could mean drugs that would let you eat fatty foods or get fat without putting your life at risk.
But it's unlikely that red wine will help by activating sirtuins.
The new research in Natureincludes an experiment that tested the supposed active ingredient in red wine: Resveratrol. The researchers found that resveratrol had no effect on sirtuins.
We have no doubt we haven't reached the bottom of the bottle on this one.
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Work on £400million Derbyshire tourism development to start in spring
Chesterfield Borough Council and Destination Chesterfield, the town's marketing campaign, have welcomed news of the Peak Resort project, which will it has been confirmed will be built on a reclaimed open cast mining site close to the Birchall Estate at Unstone, near Dronfield,
The integrated all–weather, year round leisure, health, sport and education destination will create 1,300 new jobs and will be formally announced by Prime Minister David Cameron during a visit to America this week,
A new Regeneration Investment Organisation, bringing together the two investors – Birchall Properties, led by Rupert Carr, and the US owned Grand Heritage Hotel Group – will be created to lead the project.
Councillor John Burrows, leader and executive member for regeneration at Chesterfield Borough Council, said: "This is a fantastic boost to Chesterfield and its economy and another sign of the confidence the business community has about investing in our borough.
"I congratulate the developer Rupert Carr for his determination and hard work to make this happen. I also thank the council's planning and economic development teams who have worked closely with him and his company over many years to make this project a reality.
"The development will provide 1,300 jobs when it opens, and hundreds more during the construction phase, so the opportunities for local people to get new jobs will be tremendous.
"And once completed the venue will bring thousands of extra visitors to our borough, improving Chesterfield's tourism offer, with the knock-on benefits that this gives to our local shops and facilities."
The project – which brings together leading hospitality, university, sport and medical expertise and will have 600 holiday apartments, hotel and hostel units with 250 woodland lodges – has also received the backing of Destination Chesterfield, the town's marketing campaign.
Chairman Peter Swallow said: "The benefits of Chesterfield's proximity to the Peak District National Park will be fully realised with the announcement of Peak Resort.
"The investment by the US firm Grand Heritage Hotel Group will put the town on the international map and I am confident Chesterfield will reap the domino effect of this investment far beyond the construction phase.
"Residents, retailers and developers in the area have an excellent opportunity now to capitalise on Peak Resort ahead of its opening and make Chesterfield the best it can be to ensure a positive lasting impression for all visitors."
For more on this story, click follow the links £400m leisure complex 'will completely transform' Chesterfield and Peak economy and BREAKING NEWS: £400million tourism Peak Resorts development near Chesterfield to create 1,300 jobs
Updates to follow.


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The Trouble With Chromebooks
The Trouble With Chromebooks
Chromebooks are stripped-down Linux computers that only run Chrome, so people assume that they must be cheap. After all, you don't need a lot of resources for a single application, right? It turns out that browsers actually use a lot of resources and include more and more features that used to require plugins, third-party apps or system APIs. Web apps become more advanced, it's easier to install extensions, browsers bundle Flash, file viewers and clever spell checkers, they sync your data and try to anticipate your actions. Many people complained that the Atom Chromebooks were slow and couldn't display HD videos properly. Google switched to Intel Celeron CPUs, which are more powerful, but still low-end processors. **w Google experiments With premium ARM SoCs, which are cheaper, but still can't compete With Intel Core CPUs when it comes to performance. The Trouble With Chromebooks is that Google can't come up With a powerful ultrabook that costs $700 or $800 because people would think it's too expensive. Why **t get an ultrabook that runs a full-fledged operating system and install Chrome? To solve this issue, Google could try to change people's perception about Chrome OS and show that it's **t just a browser. The latest Chrome OS releases made a lot of important changes: the browser can be minimized and resized, it's easier to open multiple *******, there's a desktop and a taskbar, you can change the wallpaper, there are cool applications like the media player, ScratchPad or Calculator that ** longer open inside the browser. By including great applications that work offline (a dictionary, some games, a contact manager, a calendar app) and encouraging developers to build standalone apps that work outside the browser, Google could show that Chrome OS is more than just a browser and finally build a computer that can run the Chrome experiments, scroll long documents and still be able to load Google services like Gmail and Google Docs without stuttering. المصدر: Forums The Trouble With Chromebooks |
أدوات الموضوع | |
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This section will keep you up to date with all the changes that are taking place. Please let us know what you think, your feedback is always appreciated, email firstname.lastname@example.com You should send press releases and news items to mailto:firstname.lastname@example.com
Featured Articles: Huge Saddle Theft From R&R Country - Saddles Valued at £34,000 The Training Tree: Impulsion The Irish Draught Horse The Marwari Horse Funnell Win Highlighted 2003 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, Presented by Bayer CCI **** Samsung Super League Coming Your Way Very Soon! Federation Equestre Internationale News
All Change At The Royal! Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire: Royal Show organisers have announced changes across the Show's equine classes including the introduction of the equestrian circuit's biggest prize pot for its new supreme in-hand champion. The action starts on Sunday, June 29. The introduction of the Royal Show's new day, a Sunday, means event organisers have had more flexibility this year to re-organise classes.Changes include scheduling of all ridden children's pony classes to take place on the more convenient weekend day and the integration of equine arena 2 into the showing programme, changing the ring's previous role from being show jumping-only.
Federation Equestre Internationale News FEI Eventing World Cup News The eighth qualifier of the FEI Eventing World Cup will take place on 10 and 11 May at the Chatsworth International One Day Event (GBR). The Eventing World Cup is organised as a three-star level CIC (One Day Event) qualifiers and a three-star level Final. It is the culmination of a long-held ambition by the FEI to establish a series of linked CICs to promote the Eventing discipline across the world. As the International One Day format has been adopted for both the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the series has an added relevance.
USET To Host Gala Dinner Dance and Silent Auction Presented by Glenmede at 13th Annual Bayer/USET Festival of Champions, presented by State Line Tack Gladstone, NJMay 8, 2003The United States Equestrian Team (USET) will host a Gala Dinner Dance and Silent Auction, presented by The Glenmede Trust Company, N.A., during the 13th annual Bayer/USET Festival of Champions, presented by State Line Tack, June 19-22 at the USETs Olympic Training Center in Gladstone, New Jersey.
USOC Concludes First Public Hearing On Equestrian NGB Application Gladstone, New Jersey and Lexington, KentuckyMay 7, 2003As required under United States Olympic Committee (USOC) Bylaws, the first of two public hearings regarding the proposed new National Governing Body (NGB) for the sport of equestrian was held on Saturday, May 3, 2003. Attending the meeting were Armand Leone, Jr., U.S. Equestrian Team (USET) President; Bonnie B. Jenkins, USET Executive Director; Kathy K. Meyer, USA Equestrian Treasurer; Lori Rawls, USA Equestrian Executive Director; and John Collins, Counsel. Please click here for further details
USET Announces Riders for 2003 Show Jumping Developing Rider European Tour Gladstone, NJMay 6, 2003 The United States Equestrian Team (USET) has named five riders plus alternates to participate on the 2003 USET Show Jumping Developing Rider European Tour. Riders named to participate are Candice King of Wellington, FL; Marley Goodman of Palm Beach, FL; Misti Cassar of Thousand Oaks, CA; John French of Redwood City, CA; and Laura Linback of Mundelein, IL, plus alternates in the following ranked order: Robin Sweely of Madison, VA; Nona Garson of Lebanon, NJ; Callen Solem of Colts Neck, NJ; Tricia O'Connor of Ocala, FL; Judy Garofalo of Dover Plains, NY; Debbie Stephens of Glenmore, PA; and Mary Lisa Leffler of Brookville, MD.
Federation Equestre Internationale News 5 May 2003
Controversial Scientific Evidence on Animal Feelings to be Presented at London Conference New evidence for how animals use body language and psychic awareness Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) Trust is hosting a controversial scientific conference in London this Saturday 10 May on the subject of animal awareness, emotions and intentions. The conference, Understanding Animals, is designed to provoke debate into how much animals' feelings and emotional states should be considered in today's culture. Including academic speakers from Oxford, Bristol, Lancaster, London and Edinburgh Universities, and the Scottish Agricultural College, the conference will explore animals' inner feelings and motivations and raise questions about society's treatment of animals. Featuring among the speakers will be Dr Francoise Wemelsfelder (Scottish Agricultural College) who will discuss animal body language and will be exploring the psycho-physical nature of animals, and Dr Rupert Sheldrake who will be exploring the scientific evidence for the unexplained perceptive powers of animals. Please click here for further details
Laurin Tops $5000 JR/AO Prix For Third Consecutive Year AUGUSTA, NJMay 4, 2003 On the last day of the Garden State Horse Show held April 30 May 4 at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta, NJ, twenty junior and amateur-owner jumper riders attempted an impressive course built by Anthony DAmbrosio in the $5000 Garden State Junior/A-O Prix, a member event of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series. And for the third consecutive year the big grey Belgian-bred mare named Laurin topped the class. Ridden this year by owner Leigh Healy of Mount Holly, NJ, the pair was the last to go in the four-horse jumpoff and stopped the clock clean in a blistering 36.805 seconds. I put a lot of faith in Laurin. She never lets you down, said Healy who just moved up into the high junior jumper division this past March. Healy also rides a ten-year-old Dutch gelding named Liverpool in the low juniors. That pair picked up a blue in the $2500 Garden State Junior/A-O Prix. The field of 32 was narrowed as seven horse-and-rider combinations qualified for the second round. Healy and Liverpool were the first to go and set the pace with a clear round in 36.077 seconds. No one could beat their clean go and the win propelled them to the low junior jumper championship. The main ring also featured the $2500 Marshall & Sterling Adult Jumper League class as well as the $1500 Marshall & Sterling Childrens Jumper league event. Both classes are North American League (NAL) events. Please click here for further details
Kappler Jumps To The Top In The $50,000 Garden State Grand Prix AUGUSTA, NJMay 2, 2003 Chris Kappler of Flemington, NJ, added another grand prix win to his impressive resume as he galloped Profox across the timers in 32.043 seconds in the $50,000 Garden State Grand Prix held on Saturday, May 3, at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta, NJ. The Garden State Horse show takes place from April 30- May 4 and is the largest horse show in New Jersey. There were a record 1151 entries who competed in the five-day hunter/jumper show. Profox was one of ten horses to jump clean over the Anthony DAmbrosio- designed course. Kappler also piloted two others in the second round Rafiki and Korina. The battle for the blue came down to Kappler and McLain Ward of Brewster, NY. Ward rode two in the jump off, but it was Galant who put the heat on Kappler as he posted a 32.523 on the board and jumped into the lead just moments before Kappler returned as the last to go. The kids lethal, said Kappler referring to Wards speed and accuracy. Kappler knew he needed to cut time and ride a faster track than he did on Korina. Sitting in the second and third position he had nothing to lose. Please click here for further details
Wisconsin State Horse Council Equine Foundation To Host Fall Harvest Fundraiser & Dinner Large Item Raffle, Live Auction, Silent Auction To Include Stallion Service Auction & Tack Sale Two Day Event!! Don't Miss It!! We will host a Fall Harvest Dinner and Fundraiser on Saturday, October 4, 2003. We will also have a Tack Sale and Stallion Service Auction on Sunday, October 5, 2003. This combined huge event will be held at the Columbus Firemen's Park Pavilion in Columbus, Wisconsin. All proceeds will benefit the new Wisconsin Horse Park facility. Barbeque Chicken and Ribs Dinner will be served from 4:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. in the lower level of the pavilion. Ticket prices for dinner will be $20 for adults, $10 for children 6-12, and children 5 & under are FREE! Tickets must be purchased prior to September 15, 2003. They are available at the Wisconsin State Horse Council office, at various functions around the state and from Horse Council members. Use the contact number below to find your closest location for tickets. Don't wait as they will go quickly and we don't want anyone left out!! After dinner the fun really begins with the many items up for grabs at the live auction which begins at 8:00 p.m. in the upper level. There will be many silent auctions running throughout the evening too. We will have games for kids, music, and more entertainment. We are gathering items now; gift certificates, gift items, horse tack and general items as well are appreciated, so contact Marlene below if you have something you wish to donate to this great cause. In addition to this, we will be drawing our major raffle prizes on Sunday. These include Featherlite 3 horse slant load new trailer, an easy entry jog cart, 40' round pen, Millcreek Manure spreader, Circle Y Saddle, Congress Leather Show Halter & Lead, and a Kathy's Show headstall. Super $15,000 Raffle!! Please click here for further details
Richard Spooner Wins 1st and 2nd Place in Lexus $25,000 Surfside Grand Prix DEL MAR Fairgrounds - Riding two different mounts, Richard Spooner took first and second place in last night's Lexus $25,000 Surfside Grand Prix at the 58th Annual Del Mar National Horse Show. With 61 competitors, the Surfside Grand Prix was the largest field of Grand Prix riders this year in California and the most competitive class on the Pacific Coast Circuit. The $25,000 Lexus Grand Prix is a qualifying event designed to eliminate all but the top 30 contenders who will go on to compete in the Del Mar National Horse Show's premier event, the $75,000 HBO Grand Prix of Del Mar presented by Budweiser, an AGA event on Saturday, May 3, at 7 p.m., in Del Mar Arena. During the Surfside Grand Prix, 13 of the 61 riders had clean rounds. Duncan Mcfarlane on Ezrah made the first clean round going 8th in the order, but held the lead for only a few minutes until Spooner and Robinson blistered the course. Spooner rode a brilliant pace on Robinson for a time of 65.080, and almost duplicated it with a great round on Bradford for a finish of 66.702. The ride on Bradford as the 47th entry moved them into second place. Spooner held 1st and 2nd to the end of the 61 entries. Please click here for further details
Feller Tops $500 Marshall & Sterling Adult Hunter Class and Earns Grand Championship AUGUSTA, NJMay 2, 2003 Melissa Feller, 19, of Mendham, NJ, topped the two-round $500 Marshall & Sterling adult hunter class riding Tammy Craig-Smiths horse Rumors Fly on the third day of the Garden State Horse Show. Garden State is held April 30 May 4 at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta, NJ. In addition to picking up the blue ribbon in the Marshall & Sterling class, she also collected the younger adult amateur championship as well as the grand champion ribbon in the adult division. Winning a Marshall & Sterling class is nothing new for Feller who finished first last year at Garden State in the Marshall & Sterling Childrens Hunter class aboard her own horse Imported. The pair also took home the Marshall & Sterling Childrens Hunter Championship held at the Capital Challenge Horse Show last October. Moving into the adult amateur division has clearly been a smooth transition for Feller. The young adult also piloted her own horse Imported to the second place in the adult amateur Marshall & Sterling class and picked up three thirds, a second, and a fourth place to take the reserve championship for the division. Please click here for further details
Registration Commission Committed to Customer Service The Arabian Horse Association (AHA) Registration Commission met in March in Denver, Colorado, to discuss streamlining processes and reinforce a commitment to quality, integrity, customer service and response time. Although several members of the Commission met during the Scottsdale show to get acquainted, this was the first official meeting of the entire group. Commission members tackled a variety of issues and developed several policies that will enhance the affordability of doing registration business with AHA. For instance, they consolidated seven existing transfer fees down to four and set one, three and five-year goals. Please click here for further details
Circle Y of Yoakum becomes active in APHA activities
AHA Strategic Plan Underway The Arabian Horse Association (AHA) has hired Management Advisors, Inc., Greenwood Village, Colo., to assist with the development of a strategic plan and governance study for the new AHA. The consulting group was hired as part of the Merger Agreement that created AHA by combining the Arabian Horse Registry of America, Inc. and the International Arabian Horse Association. Article VII of the Merger Agreement states that AHA "shall retain one or more firms to conduct an independent governance study and develop a strategic plan in order to determine the best governance structure for Arabian Horse Association." "This is extremely significant and will have a far-reaching and positive impact on the Arabian horse industry," says AHA President Bill Hughes. "We hope that all members can be as forthcoming as possible with whatever questions are asked," says AHA Vice President Bob Fauls. "We need this information to become more effective at representing the needs of our customers." Please click here for further details
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At the time of Captain Cook's arrival (1778-1779), the Hawaiian Islands were divided into four chiefdoms: (1) the island of Hawaiʻi under the rule of Kalaniʻōpuʻu, who also had possession of the Hāna district of east Maui; (2) Maui (except the Hāna district,) Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi and Kahoʻolawe, ruled by Kahekili; (3) Oʻahu, under the rule of Kahahana; and (4) Kauaʻi and Niʻihau, Kamakahelei was ruler.
Kalaniʻōpuʻu was born about 1729; he died in April 1782. His brother was Keōua and his son was Kiwalaʻō; he was the grandfather of Keōpūolani. When Keōua, the father of Kamehameha, died, he commended his son to the care of Kalaniʻōpuʻu, who received him, and treated him as his own child. (Dibble)
"(W)hen Captain Cook first landed on Hawaiʻi he found the (chief) of that island absent on another warlike expedition to Maui, intent upon avenging his defeat of two years before, when his famous brigade of eight hundred nobles was hewn in pieces." (Kalākaua)
Kahekili was born at Hāliʻimaile, Maui, the son of the high chief Kekaulike. In 1765, Kahekili inherited all of Maui Nui and O'ahu and was appointed successor to his brother Kamehamehanui's chiefdom (not to be confused with Hawai'i Island's Kamehameha I.)
Kahahana was high-born and royally-connected. His father was Elani, one of the highest nobles in the ʻEwa district on Oʻahu, a descendant of the ancient lords of Līhuʻe. His mother was a sister of Peleioholani, Chief of Oʻahu, and a cousin of Kahekili, Chief of Maui. (Fornander)
Kahahana had from boyhood been brought up at the court of Kahekili, who looked upon his cousin's child almost as a son of his own. (Fornander)
Kamakahelei was the "queen of Kauaʻi and Niʻihau, and her husband was a younger brother to Kahekili, while she was related to the royal family of Hawaiʻi."
"Thus, it will be seen, the reigning families of the several islands of the group were all related to each other, as well by marriage as by blood. So had it been for many generations. But their wars with each other were none the less vindictive because of their kinship, or attended with less of barbarity in their hours of triumph." (Kalākaua)
At the time of Cook's arrival, "Kahekili was plotting for the downfall of Kahahana and the seizure of Oʻahu and Molokai, and the queen of Kauaʻi was disposed to assist him in these enterprises. " (Kalākaua)
At about that time, in 1779, Kahahana had assisted Kahekili in his wars against Kalaiopuʻu of Hawaiʻi. The rupture between Kahekili and Kahahana did not occur till afterward, in 1780-81. (Fornander)
In the early part of 1783, Kahahana was in the upper part of Nuʻuanu valley, when the news came of Kahekili's landing at Waikīkī, and hastily summoning his warriors, he prepared as best he could to meet so sudden an emergency. (Fornander)
In this company there were eight famous warriors, who seemed to think themselves invulnerable: Pupuka, Makaʻioulu, Puakea, Pinau, Kalaeone, Pahua, Kauhi and Kapukoa.
They had often faced danger, and returned chanting victory.
The night shadows were falling around the camp when these eight men, one by one, crept away from the other chiefs. Word had been passed from one to the other and a secret expedition partially outlined. Therefore each man was laden with his spear, club and javelins. (Westervelt)
With the coming of morning light they found themselves not far from the old temple, which had been used for ages for most solemn royal ceremonies, a part of which was often the sacrifice of human beings, and here, aided by their gods, they thought to inflict such injuries upon the Maui men as would make their names remembered in the Maui households.
While Kahekili and his Maui army were camped near the heiau at ʻApuakehau, they were suddenly attacked by the eight of Oʻahu.
Without authorization from Kahahana, into these hundreds the eight boldly charged.
The conflict was hand to hand, and in that respect was favorable to the eight men well-skilled in the use of spear and javelin. Side by side, striking and smiting all before them, the little band forced its way into the heart of the body of its foes.
Wave upon wave of men from Maui beat against the eight, but each time the wave was shattered and scattered and destroyed. Large numbers were killed while the eight still fought side by side apparently uninjured.
It has been said that this was a fight "to which Hawaiian legends record no parallel." Eight men attacked an army and for some time were victorious in their onslaught. (Westervelt)
Surrounded, they were able to escape at Kawehewehe, killing dozens of their adversaries.
Only one of the eight lived to perpetuate his name among the families of Oʻahu. Pupuka became the ancestor of noted chiefs of high rank. The others were probably all killed in the destructive battles which soon followed. (Westervelt)
Kahahana's army was later routed, and he and his wife fled to the mountains. For nearly two years or more they wandered over the mountains, secretly aided, fed and clothed by his supporters. He was finally betrayed and killed by his wife's brother. (Kanahele)
Kahekili conquered Oʻahu and finally received the body of Kahahana, which was taken to the temple at Waikīkī and offered in sacrifice. After this annihilation of the Oʻahu army, no hint is given of the other members of the band of the famous eight. (Westervelt)
Kahekili and his eldest son and heir-apparent, Kalanikūpule, conquered Kahahana, adding Oʻahu under his control. (Kahekili's son, Kalanikūpule, inherited his chiefdom; Oʻahu was later lost to Kamehameha in the Battle of Nuʻuanu (1795.)) The image shows the Oʻahu Eight, drawn by Brook Kapukuniahi Parker.
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"That offends me!" Who hasn't heard that? Particularly, what pastor, elder, or deacon hasn't heard it? It makes us shudder. How should we respond? It depends on what kind of offense it is! We want unity and harmony in the church. But unless we consider that there are different kinds of offense and that God's ordained servants must make different responses to each, we won't get it.
What is an "offense" according to God's Word? It's something that trips up someone so that he falls into sin or unbelief. The New Testament uses it as a noun. "Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way" (Rom. 14:13; cf. Rom. 14:20; 1 Cor. 8:9). It also uses it as a verb. "It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall" (Rom. 14:21; cf. 1 Cor. 8:13).
The verb use is very instructive. When it's active, it means "to cause to stumble or fall." For example, "But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea" (Matt. 18:6).
But when it's passive, it means "to stumble over, to take offense." But in this case, the blame isn't on the "stumbling block." It's on the one who stumbles. For example, "And they took offense at him" (Matt. 13:57). Literally, "they stumbled over him." Jesus was the stumbling block, but he didn't sin. It was their own fault that they stumbled. They "took offense ... because of their lack of faith" (Matt. 13:58).
This is a very important distinction. In other words, it's a sin to give offense. But it's also a sin to take offense when none is given.
When Paul talks about strong and weak brothers in Romans 14-15 and in 1 Corinthians 8-10, he warns against the sin of giving offense. He commands stronger brothers to take pains not to cause weak brothers to fall into sin. "When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall" (1 Cor. 8:12-13).
The sin of giving offense is one which a strong brother commits by doing something which is ordinarily a legitimate act of Christian freedom. But in certain circumstances it becomes wrong because it influences a weak brother to do something against his conscience. God holds the strong brother responsible for that sin because he failed to show Christ-like love and servanthood when it came to the weakness of his weak brother. He committed the sin of giving offense.
What makes the weak brother weak? First of all, a weak brother is weak in his knowledge of God's Word (1 Cor. 8:4, 7). This makes him weak in faith (Rom. 14:1). "But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin" (Rom. 14:23). Therefore, he's weak in conscience (1 Cor. 8:7, 10, 12). His conscience is over-sensitive. It condemns him for doing what God's Word permits. Moreover, the weak brother is weak in self-control. "For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols" (1 Cor. 8:10)?
This means that a weak brother isn't just a young Christian. He's not just a Christian who gets upset because he thinks you're wrong. Maybe these brothers have weaknesses. But that doesn't make them weak brothers. A weak brother is a Christian who can be influenced to sin against his conscience by the example of a differing strong brother because he's weak in his knowledge, faith, conscience, and self-control.
The strong brother is strong because he's been instructed in God's Word. "As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself" (Rom. 14:14; cf. 1 Cor. 8:4-7). The strong are strong where the weak are weak—in knowledge (1 Cor. 8:7, 10), faith (Rom. 14:22), conscience (Rom. 14:22), and self-control (1 Cor. 10:29-30). Strong brothers are mature believers who exercise biblical Christian freedom with clear consciences and aren't wrongly influenced by others who make different judgment calls.
Unhappily, this doesn't automatically make strong brothers strong in love (1 Cor. 8:1). But they ought to be strong in love. "We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up" (Rom. 15:1-2). God holds the strong responsible for the weak.
In this light, realize that you have to relate to more than one kind of differing Christian. There are weak brothers. There are also strong brothers who disagree with some of your judgment calls but who follow biblical principles about Christian liberty in such things.
But there's another kind of differing believer. Believe me, you will encounter them. They're the ones who refuse to accept others who make differing judgment calls. Instead, they keep pushing others to conform to their conclusions. They get upset at those who resist. They take offense when no offense is given.
Earlier, we saw that it's a sin to give offense. But we also saw that it's a sin to take offense when none is given. Now we see why this distinction is so important. You see, the real reason why someone takes offense is not the actions of the other person. It's his own pride or unbelief.
The people of Jesus' hometown "took offense at him." Jesus was a stumbling block, but not in the sense that he committed the sin of giving offense. Rather, he was a stumbling block in the sense that he was the occasion for their sin of taking offense. They probably blamed Jesus. But in reality, the reason they took offense was "their lack of faith" (Matt. 13:57-58). The sin was theirs, not his.
This kind of differing believer is not a weak brother. He's firm in conviction and will-power. He's not about to blindly follow examples with which he disagrees. But he's not a strong brother either. He's weak in Biblical knowledge and he's weak in love. He can't differentiate between God's commands and his own personal application of God's commands. He makes his own applications binding—not just for himself, but for everyone else. He's a legalist, a "Pharisee." He takes offense at those who resist his pressure to conform to his judgment calls. He takes offense when none is given. He takes offense because of his own pride. The sin is his, not theirs.
Sometimes pastors, elders, and deacons, deeply concerned not to give offense, let themselves and the church get taken hostage by someone who takes offense. It seems that every time Christ's kingdom is advancing—whether a pastor is being called, a budget is being approved, a church is being planted, a building program is being developed, a Christian school (or a Christian home school support group) is being formed, etc. etc. etc.—someone steps forward to say of something, "That offends me!" Eager to avoid conflict in the church, and failing to realize that taking offense is a sin in itself—a divisive, peace-breaking, conflict-producing sin—God's ordained servants often backpedal in order to appease the offended one.
Now, as those who've been blessed with good teaching, we need to beware of the ease with which we do fall into the sin of giving offense (1 Cor. 8:1). So whenever someone says, "That offends me," we'd better examine ourselves. We need—by abiding in Christ—to bear the fruit of a humble, Christ-like attitude of servant-love toward all our brethren, including our weak brothers. But if it becomes evident that the person saying, "That offends me," is actually guilty of the sin of taking offense, we had better not try to appease it. If we do, we fall into sin ourselves. We sin by failing to deal with divisive judgmentalism in Christ's church. We had better deal with it not as a hurt we need to soothe but as a sin we need to confront.
Jesus never backed off from saying or doing things which were right, even though he knew the Pharisees would take offense at them (cf. Matt. 15:1-14). He kept doing what brought his Father glory and advanced his own Kingdom. At first, when the Pharisees questioned him, Jesus simply explained why he did what he did. But when they started trying to turn people away from following him, Jesus began more directly to rebuke them. He also began to warn others about the Pharisees. He told his disciples to "be on guard" (Matt. 16:6) and to "leave them" (Matt. 15:14). Finally, Jesus openly rebuked the Pharisees.
So, in light of Christ's example, how should God's ordained servants relate to those who take offense when none is given? First and foremost, beware of being an offense-taker yourself (Matt. 6:12, Luke 12:1, Rom. 14:3). (Don't be too quick to exonerate yourself. As Martin Luther incisively said, "There's a pope, a devil, and a Pharisee in every human heart.") If an offense-taker questions you, gently and patiently explain why you believe and behave as you do (2 Tim. 2:24-26). Don't give in to his pressure to conform to his personal dos and don'ts, especially if it impinges on the gospel (see the whole book of Galatians). Keep pursuing peace (Rom 12:18; 14:19). Try to build him up in Christ. If he refuses your efforts to be a peacemaker, back off and commit him to God. Warn the church as a whole of the sin of taking offense (Rom. 15:14). Make sure you keep the grace of God in Christ central in all your ministry. I hope that it goes without saying that you'll love the offense-taker for Christ's sake and pray for him each step of the way. Maybe the Lord will use these things to bring him to greater maturity in Christ.
But what if the offense-taker escalates his efforts to pressure others to conform to his personal criteria of acceptance and fellowship? If the offense-taker starts to hurt the church, to hurt individual believers spiritually, and/or to hurt the church's witness to the world, confront him on the private level. Seek to lead him to repentance (Matt. 18:15; Gal. 6:1). If private confrontation doesn't restore the offending brother, then you must pursue the further steps for church discipline which our Lord Jesus spelled out (Matt. 18:15-20). Public rebuke is what our Lord Jesus did in effect when he publicly condemned those who so persistently opposed him (Matt. 23). The final step of excommunication is what he did in effect when he took the Kingdom away from the Jews and gave it to the Gentiles, culminating in the destruction of the temple in 70 AD (but in hope of restoration, Rom. 11).
It is a sin to give offense. But it's also a sin to be "touchy," to take offense when none is given. It's important that God's ordained servants realize that both of these things are sins and act accordingly.
Now brothers, let's be honest. I've committed both of these kinds of sins—I've both given and taken offense at varying points in my Christian pilgrimage. How thankful I am that I have a faithful Savior who has loved me and received me, whose righteousness covers me, and whose Spirit is sanctifying me. The goal of this article is not to provide fuel for self-righteousness. My goal rather is to help church leaders to consider some weaknesses which Satan seeks to exploit in his war against Christ and the church. My goal is to encourage us in church leadership to recognize these sins as sin and to help God's people to experience the triumph of God's grace in Christ over these sins.
This article was originally published in Ordained Servant, vol. 8, no. 2. The author is indebted to Dr. Garry Friesen for the basic ideas expressed in this article. For a more detailed discussion of this theme, please see his book Decision Making and the Will of God (Multnomah Press, 1980), pp. 377-426.
© 2024 The Orthodox Presbyterian Church


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We do not regard what is before our feet; we all gaze at the stars.
This is the father of Roman poetry, the Homer of Rome, and it's really too bad his work exists only in fragments. There are many ancient writers I'd love to read, if I could hop in a time machine and head off for some literary tourism, and he is one.
He wasn't likely to be the kind of man I'd have enjoyed an evening of conversation with, judging from what's said of him: a man's man, sounds a bit macho, and he liked his aristocracy. But who knows? Writers are writers, and it's just possible a conversation over a bowl of wine or two might have been scintillating. This was a man, trilingual, who liked to say he had three hearts. A three-hearted man has got many interesting things to say.
And the things he said! This quote has always struck me as bitter and sweet. It's true, and it's hopeful, and it's a bit sad. He packed a lot of human understanding into these few words. Depending on your mood, you can see it as a celebration or a condemnation. That's the power of poetry: to give us words that say more than what they would seem to on the surface.
He also said, "Let no one weep for me, or celebrate my funeral with mourning; for I still live, as I pass to and fro through the mouths of men." This is our immortality: these words, passed from mouth to mouth, mind to mind.


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Saturday, November 10, 2012
My presentation at Visualizing.org —plus a few words about journalism
A few hours ago, I gave an online presentation at Visualizing.Org's Global Marathon. In twenty minutes, I had to summarize my views on the basics of data visualization. Not easy task. You can watch the presentation above, and get the slides here.*
After the talk, I got a message on Twitter from my friend José Luis de Vicente, someone deeply involved in technological innovation and data journalism in Spain. He said that it seems that I'm moving away from news infographics and into the territory of pure dataviz (not necessarily journalistic).
I am not so sure that this change is real. First of all, as I explained in the presentation, my approach to graphics is completely low-tech: I know less about programming than probably 90% of the people in the Marathon (OK, I may know a bit more than some of the students there, but not that much). Second, as I point out in The Functional Art, I believe that infographics and data visualization share —or should share— common basic principles and even ethics (public service, honesty, professional independence etc.). Third, visualization designers can learn a good deal from news folks: how to write headlines and copy, organize hierarchies, and tell stories. Those are the skills that I like to teach. At the end, no matter how geeky I may sound in this blog and on Twitter, I still consider myself a journalist, above all.
*The projects I showed during the talk were made with my friends and colleagues Marco Vergotti, Rodrigo Cunha, Rodrigo Fortes, Gerson Mora, Luiz Salomão Gerardo Rodríguez, Erik Scaranello, and Pedro Schimidt, from Época magazine's infographics and multimedia desk.


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I've noticed, as I go around talking to organisations about diagnosing, understanding and harnessing their creativity to improve their business practices, that there is one crucial ingredient of creativity that most people don't know about. This makes me think that idea Incubation might be the secret ingredient of innovation and problem solving.
Some people, like Steve Jobs, know the secret automatically, but you can learn to use it too.
What is Incubation, and how does it work?
Incubation is what we do when we stop thinking intensely and deliberately about something, and allow our brains and thoughts to flow. Incubation is the process of allowing yourself to think about things at an unconscious level, and using it results in "Eureka", or "light-bulb" moments and break-through ideas. All "creatives" know how it works, and they use it deliberately to help them solve problems, create innovations and exploit opportunities.
Incubation should be factored in to any problem solving process, whether it's developing new products, improving teamwork, knowing how to lead effectively or generally adapting effectively and well to change. Incubation is the secret ingredient for staying ahead of the game.
So how can you make it work for you?
The process of creative problem solving requires a number of elements coming together, and all human beings have an inbuilt ability to do it. When we use Incubation, whether deliberately or not, we allow ourselves to percolate ideas from deep inside, without directly thinking about them.
This process involves a change of scenery or activity. It explains why sometimes we have breakthrough ideas or find solutions in our sleep or when we are in the shower. By changing the way your thought patterns operate, you can allow your brain to "free-range" and this change allows your brain to see patterns, put pieces together and join the dots.
While some people know how to deliberately use Incubation, everyone can learn how to do it. You can learn how to deliberately factor in Incubation time to your personal or organisational processes. Companies like Google and Pixar are famous for using various Incubation techniques, like allowing free time for employees and having free-form work places that provide various activities like talking, playing sports and walking around the grounds, and they have reaped the rewards by becoming dominating players in their fields.
But you don't need to invest in new buildings or huge organisational change. It's easy to learn how to increase and exercise Incubation. There are a number of exercises you can do (and which we can help you with) or you can do it yourself. On a personal level, you can go for walks, do crossword puzzles, look at the sea, play a game of squash, or doodle. Any activity that takes your mind off the problem at hand and that allows your thoughts to either roam freely or be focussed on an entirely different activity will do the trick. On an organisational level, you can introduce the deliberate use of Incubation into your decision-making processes.
The key is to understand that Incubation is crucial and necessary to the creativity process, and that with a small investment in time, and learning to understand how it works, you can maximise the production of all innovative solutions.
Working creatively and smart maximises individual and organisational out-put, productivity, ideas and innovation, problem solving, time management and ultimately financial and every other sort of profit.
Make Incubation your friend, and put it to good use.
To her surprise, she found the great detective, engaged in building card houses.
"It is not, Mademoiselle, that I have become childish in my old age. No. But the building of card houses, I have always found it most stimulating to the mind."
Hercule Poirot, Three Act Tragedy by Agatha Christie
Lynette Jensen
Lynette Jensen is a director and co-founder of Genesys Australia and is committed to helping people achieve work-life balance through good job fit. In addition to contributing to this blog, she also writes regularly for HR Daily Community and Dynamic Business Magazine. Her articles have been re-published in India & the United Kingdom.
Please click on the heading to leave a comment
Related posts:
How to Spot an Original Thinker
Why IBM found Creativity = Business Success
Creativity: The Essence of Being Australian
NB: We are an independent workplace psychology practice. All views expressed here are our own and are the opinions of Stephen Kohl & his associates, which do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher and developer of GeneSys assessments, Psytech International.
Tags: Creativity, creativity & innovation, creativity in business, decision making, incubating ideas, incubation, innovation, me2 creativity tool, organisational psychology, problem solving, psych tests, psychology, Psychometric Assessment


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Tom Brady is officially on board with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The former New England Patriots quarterback announced Friday he was joining the team in the start of what he called "a new football journey." The six-time Super Bowl champion and three-time MVP agreed to terms on a contract Tuesday but needed to take a physical to complete the deal.
Brady announced the deal in a message posted to his Instagram.
"Excited, humble and hungry ... if there is one thing I have learned about football, it's that nobody cares what you did last year or the year before that...you earn the trust and respect of those around through your commitment every single day," Brady wrote. "I'm starting a new football journey and thankful for the @buccaneers for giving me an opportunity to do what I love to do. I look forward to meeting all my new teammates and coaches and proving to them that they can believe and trust in me...I have always believed that well done is better than well said, so I'm gonna not gonna say much more - I'm just gonna get to work! #Year1"
Brady, 42, parts with the Patriots after a 20-year run with the franchise in which he rose from a sixth-round draft pick to become arguably the most decorated and accomplished player in NFL history.
In Tampa, he joins a franchise that has the NFL's second-longest active playoff drought, with the Buccaneers not having made the postseason since 2007. The team hasn't won in the playoffs since the 2002 season, in which it won its lone Super Bowl.
"Tom is a proven champion who has achieved greatness on the field because he demands the best out of himself and his teammates," Buccaneers GM Jason Licht said in a statement by the team. "I've known Tom since we drafted him in New England 20 years ago and through this process it became very clear that his desire to be a champion burns as strong today as it ever has. He possesses the type of rare natural leadership qualities that will immediately impact our entire organization."
TB ✖ TB pic.twitter.com/oyzSdNn1ZE
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) March 20, 2020
The Buccaneers ranked first in passing (302.8 yards per game) last season under former starting quarterback Jameis Winston, who now is a free agent. Brady will have one of the NFL's premier wide receiver tandems in Pro Bowl selections Chris Godwin and Mike Evans.
"Tom is the most successful quarterback in the history of our league, but what makes him so special is his ability to make those around him better," Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said in a statement. "I have had the privilege to work with some of the best passers in our game, and the characteristics they all possessed were the ability to lead and get the best out of their teammates. Tom is no different. He is a proven winner who will provide the leadership, accountability and work ethic necessary to lead us to our goal of winning another championship."
Read more at usatoday.com


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Electronic Air Pressure Valve Packer 1225
March 24, 2010
The Model A1000 electronic air pressure packer utilizes a load cell and a user-friendly Model IDS440HS digital weigh indicator/controller for bagging fine, medium, and course dry materials. This model offers production rates of 4 to 8+ bags/min with weight accuracy of +/- 3 to 5 oz, at proper fluidization and uniform control of head pressure. It features heavy-duty construction with simple operation; has a full bottom chamber cover for easy clean out; dual filling speeds (bulk and dribble); a dust collection connection; and coupled with a quiet low-pressure blower. The A1000 provides accurate weighing to eliminate give-away, lowers maintenance costs, and increases production.
VIC Systems International Inc., Shawnee Mission, KS 800-255-0445 www.vicsystemsintl.com
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- Home
- Government
- Departments
- Police Department
- School Resource Officer
Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
In September 2008, the Police Departments of Middleton, Topsfield, and Boxford, along with the Masconomet Regional School District, created a memorandum of understanding. Each Police Department will provide all compensation and benefits to fund a school resource officer.
This endeavor is obviously beneficial in reducing crime and opening the lines of communication at the regional school. It is my hope that the officers will establish a bond with the students and a relationship that carries outside the school district. We have found that students feel comfortable speaking with law enforcement officers about smaller issues before they become full blown crises.
The goals and objectives of the school resource program are to assist the Masconomet Regional School District in providing a safe learning environment and to improve relationships between law enforcement officers and today's youth. The program also attempts to promote a better understanding of the law enforcement officers' role in society while educating students, parents, and school personnel to build a better community and to provide a role model in the educational system.


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Steve Vai and Vai.com have just posted some interesting items to eBay: the modified Marshall full stack Vai used on David Lee Roth's 1986 Eat 'Em and Smile album and lengthy supporting tour.
The listing includes Vai's 100-watt, four-input Marshall JMP Plexi head and matching "white face" 4×12 cabinets. The starting price was $1,000.
A portion of the proceeds will go toward the Make-a-Noise Fund, which provides musical instruments to cultivate and preserve musical awareness, development and education.
The 100-watt Marshall JMP was given to Ted Templeman by Steve Stevens during the New York recording sessions for Eat 'Em and Smile. The amp was then modded to Vai's liking by Lee Jackson, who was known for his Marshall modifications in the '80s and '90s.
The Plexi head features an extra gain stage, frequency adjust control, effects loop and master volume. It has been well maintained in Los Angeles and features matching Drake transformers, KT88 quad-matched power tubes and hand-selected pre-amp tubes.
The cabinets are outfitted with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers. Both cabinets bear Vai's signature and certification and are in perfect working condition.
For more about these items, check out the photo gallery below and visit the actual listing on eBay.


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- Information
- Reviews
Product information
Medium 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" Super Duty Stand-Off
Long 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" (Diameter x Length) Super Duty Stand-Off
1½" diameter stand-offs are used on all pieces of glass greater than 15" in scale.
The original super duty stand-off is a non-drilling hardware and has been a popular style. The original super duty stand-offs was designed for the glassblower who can have larger heavier pieces with only one attachment point and it is orientated on the piece of glass in which the glass will always display with a particular design at the top. The super duty stand-off has a streamlined design in which no screws are visible once the stand-off is placed into the bracket on the wall. This stand-off can have up to a 1 1/2″ surface area and a no flex bracket.
Original super duty stand-offs is typically used one stand-off per piece of artwork. This is a streamlined system with no screws showing and no flex in the bracket. This stand-off is orientated on the artwork designating a "top" and "bottom". Additional angles can be achieved by rotating the bracket.
Hang Your Glass adhesive or HXTAL is required for all applications.


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Silly me!
I was expecting a Lewis rant about the aircraft carriers!
Fail icon is for me!
All of Britain's mobile phone networks will offer Windows Phone 7 handsets "later this year", Microsoft has revealed. Carphone Warehouse and Phones4U will get to sell them, but that's no surprise, perhaps. The most recent round of rumours narrow that window to sometime next month, but that's not a detail Microsoft confirmed …
Windows Phone 7 is a fine looking phone OS, and from what we've seen of the devices they seem quite decent. So what's with the hate from El Reg? Are you saying there is only room for two systems, iPhone and Android, and we never want another competitior?
WinPho7 sits in that middle ground. Unlike Apple, you have a choice of manufacturers, networks and handsets. Unlike Android, all apps have passed certification and are safe to install, without spyware or malware. Sure, both the other two are perfectly valid options, but so is this.
Disclaimer: I own an Android handset (HTC Desire). I bought my wife an iPhone for her birthday. I'm currently developing software for Windows Phone 7. I think I can claim not to be a fanboy of any system.
I'd like you to be right, in that there's a middle ground between Android and iPhone that could be filled by Windows Phone 7. However that my initial reaction has been so far that Microsoft risk taking the worst bits of both and combining them into one glorious ... meh.
My own background is that I loved my WIndows Smartphone / Mobiles from 2004 - 2009, until I went Android. That decision was based on the UI, of which I had had more than enough by then. I don't like the iPhone per se but recognise it has a place. Ultimately, I think having three major players in this market (plus BlackBerry) is a positive but it's doubtful the market will support many more.
There is also a wider question mark here over Microsoft's ability truly to innovate compared to its rather more habitual tendency merely to follow ... at least since Billy G went to pastures new. Microsoft has really suffered from a lack of competition since it ruled the world.
El Reg writers frequently seem to enjoy being perceived of as "cool and cynical"! Having said that I must say that I agree with your points. MS' model may in fact be a deliberate strategy aimed at those who wish to be able to buy a mob from their preferred manufacturer but at the same time want the reassurance etc...etc... MS may be right, we'll see in the coming twelve months or so whether they are or not. Mine is a "Wildfire" by the way.l
If the only thing Win7 Phones promote is more variety of choices (and potential price wars) then I'm happy to see Microsoft in this arena. Too many people write Microsoft just because they are Microsoft. To have basically two companies dominating the the phone OS's is not good (I've discounted BB (mainly business) and Nokia becuase they seem to lack direction) Microsoft at lease add another flavor to the mix and potentially more ease of use with the synergies across to PC operating systems.
That being said I'm not using any of these products I use my mobile phone mainly for phone calls, it can play music, take photo's, text etc but the OS du jour as little to no interest to me as long as i can do what I want when I want.
We have a large estate of Windows PCs, Windows servers, MS Exchange, SharePoint here. If Windows Phone 7 works better with that lot than Android then we will buy the Windows product.
Not all phones are bought on how pretty they are or by social networking addicts.
I think that some people are forgetting the business market. If WP7 "talks" more easily and readily to windows based business systems that will be a major push for adoption of the OS. I have a "Wildfire", I like Android and am content for the time being. However when the time comes to upgrade, who knows?
See, we have a bunch of WinMo phones for the business and getting them set up has been nothing but painful. Prior to 6.5 (which I believe fixed these issues), we've found competitor's phones EASIER to set up with Exchange than MS's own offering.
It's a little thing called "self-signed certificates". We can't justify the cost of a signed SSL cert for our Exchange boxes, and we have no end of trouble importing root certificates onto the device.
We've since realised WinMo is a dead duck, there's no point buying 6.5 and we can't wait for 7, so we went down the Android route. Simple enough such that we can get users to set them up themselves!!
I personally see little point in a Windows 7 phone, but then I don't have a MS-based back-end to interface a significant number of corporate users to. Realistically, that is the big (maybe only?) market MS can go for with any confidence and that, as you say, will be the decision making factor for a lot of big customers.
Tux - just because I like him/her.
More Microsoft PR Tripe. This basically means no UK operator wants to pay for exclusivity..
As lets face it pretty much every phone is available on every operator, unless a particular handset is so good that a operator wants exclusivity (iPhone, HTC Legend for examples).
Microsoft, the masters of spin, spinning a negative into a positive. WinMobo7 disaster looming.... Why have a rubbish Windows bloated mobile, when you can have Android?
Now what about the handsets thats gonna support this platform?
I mean, will they (can they) compete with the £ 99 Orange (San Francisco) and Huawei (Ideos) capacitative screens and the works, smartphones?
Game over, in my opinion. Ditto for Nokia Symbians.
Gates, obviously, since Steve's lost the plot long ago, ever since pushing Vista!
...d*mn about Android fans. Or Apple fanbois. I want a phone that I can create a secure messaging system for, so that when I go to Israel I don't have to wait 6 hours while my text messages to my girlfriend are sensored. Windows Phone lets me do that without having to bet on the Google/Oracle thing going lemon, or learning Objective C and then integrating they sy stack with the .NET sy stack.
I think Microsoft could potentially innovate mobile gaming by introducing XBL to smart phones, but other than that I really don't see much their platform offers right now that would set it apart from its competitors. Maybe a few more iterations will give the platform time to mature and to implement some pretty important functionality it is missing right now.
Tthe problem is by the time they sort this crap out will it be too late? Aside from games, what exactly is the killer feature that sets Windows Phone 7 apart from its competition?
The thing that interests me is why now? Symbian / S60 seems to be a bit on the wane, but don't underestimate Nokia, iPhone is just marketting hype - its very well done marketting but the device is a dog and the development environment even worse than Symbians mess, Android is good, but now these have opened up the idea of a smart phone and the ability to create and download applications I wonder if the time is considered right to bring in Windows with its proven development environment - one that actually works
I think if you're going to publish an article you need to apply some journalistic detachment here. You may not like Microsoft as a company, but the latest indications are that it is actually a worthy competitor to the dominance of Nokia.
Joking aside, why all the negative attitude - I believe MS are determined with this new effort into the mobile space and they actually do have an innovative and fresh product here.
You need to include some form of balancing mechanism in your writing.
Complete speculation but I think Windows Phone 7 will gain an acceptable market share. By no means a majority share of the smart phone market, but take a look at potential customers. How many people are in the same position as myself, want a new phone but not willing to buy an Apple style accessory and unwilling to use a device running Google Android?
I suppose there's still Blackberry and Palm, but neither hold much interest for me as a developer or as a consumer. Android offers the means to do more or less what we like with the device, but the idea of a phone heavily tied in to other Google services doesn't sit well with me. Apple's iPhone offers lots of entertainment from a consumer perspective (once you get past the fart apps) and even some good productivity apps but overall the device is very much controlled by Apple.
Windows Phone 7 offers me a smart phone that's not designed to observe my usage patterns in order to line someone's pockets. That's probably my biggest reason for wanting it, though the ability to port some existing Silverlight apps to it is another appealing factor. I'm a bit disappointed that Motorola haven't released any details on a WP7 handset yet. The Samsung offering looks very nice though. Hopefully these phones will be released in October as suggested by previous reports, I really need a new phone and I'm not buying an Apple or Android device in the meanwhile!
MS could just have taken the decision to get as many of them on the ground instead of playing games around artifically creating a scarcity.
As for a bloated mess of an OS, I hardly think they will try and squeeze Vista or 7 onto a handset, but then again you're probably thinking I'm a shill for applying a little thought to the counter-argument.
What piqued my interest in Winpho7 was the underlying engine.
With shifted a great many in-house intra-services to .net, because the visual studio development environment is top notch.
This potentially opens some very interesting integration opportunities.
Time will tell...
How many phones does Microsoft have to sell to make up the marketing cost?
1000000000 / 15 = 66,666,666 handsets.
That's right. 66.6 million handsets just to recoup the marketing expenses.
Then it's the development cost, before it actually makes a profit.
This will be another expensive fail for Microsoft. They are screwing the desktop/server markets to fund these pet projects of epic fail.
I, as it seems like many others in this thread, migrated to Android after bemoaning the general stagnant state of WM6.x and have never really looked back since. However techies like me who seem to have taken a shine to Android isn't why the OS is succeeding - it's the cheap yet surprisingly functional handsets like the HTC Wildfire which will drive growth - the cheap smartphones that replace the dumbphones people used to get.
Windows Mobile 7 probably won't have any of these kinds of handsets, so as another commenter said I suspect they'll mainly do well as a mobile gaming platform if the supposedly easy Xbox-porting actually happens. Kinda like a replacement for the PSP or DS. It's not surprising to me that Sony is rumoured to be developing an Android-based PSP phone to try and counter this.
So if the games are any good, it will probably be a relative success, but I suspect mainly at the expense of Sony, Nintendo and Apple. Android will continue to grow, fuelled by the people wanting cheap smartphones. But who can tell really, especially as very little is known about the devices and the OS at this point.
Darn. I too thought this was going to be another article about
baffling defense spending decisions.
While the UK can't match us here in the US on sheer volume of wastage,
it does make us feel better that there is some good competition out
there for the general level of military silliness when measured on a
per-capita basis.
Let me just say that my wife got a iPhone4 because her son has one <SIGH> ... The voice quality is terrible. Voice is subject to break-ups and when it is understandable, it sounds like she is speaking from inside a tin bucket.
As my Blackberry curve contract is up in a couple of months, I will NOT be getting an iPhone... My options are Android or Win7 phone...
This is what worries me about MS
"Microsoft is positioning its upcoming Windows Phone 7 smartphone OS, planned for release this October, as an "ad-serving machine."
That's how Microsoft exec Kostas Mallios described the OS to an audience that could be expected to approve of Windows Phone 7's taking a starring role in the mobile-advertising firmament: attendees at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival.
Microsoft's smartphone OS will provide advertisers with three levels of ad-serving "opportunities" in addition to standard browser-based ads, and in a radical departure from the tacks taken by either Apple's app-based iAds, scheduled to launch next Thursday, or Google's browser-centric world, two of Windows Phone 7's ad-delivery systems will enable ads to be sent outside of either apps or the browser."
...the disliking of WinMo phones. I've got a HTC HD2 and I think its great. Sure HTC have gone to great lengths to hide WinMo with the Sense UI, but occasionally dropping down into WinMo itself it not a great pain. Personally I prefer the freedom to tinker that WinMo phones give you straight out of the box, no jailbreaking this, no flashing that (unless you want to install a cooked ROM). I couldn't go back to a normal phone now (not even Android) so if Microsoft have taken the middle ground where do >I< go for my next upgrade??
but the ones I have had (mostly HP) have been clunky, unreliable, and not much good as phones. My disliking of them is not prejudice it is expience.
All required frequent rebooting, and two of them had to be coldstarted and the contact/applications reloaded every week or so.
I just can't be doing with it, and won't be bothering with the new ones.
Oh, perhaps the bluetooth will work in the new ones, but they put it in the old ones and swore blind it worked. Maybe the syncing with outlook won't strip the + sign off all the international numbers, but the last 4 did that and I'm not going to risk my own money on that sort of pedigree. And in any case, I don't want to sync to Outlook. ever again.
The last HP, a 617 that I bought from expansys was appalling. I once turned it off for a flight from Korea to the UK, and found half a dozen 'welcome to the ussr' messages on it when i turned it on. The only way to turn it off was to take the battery out. I sent the bloody thing back.
My wife bought me the 6301 having been told that, being windows, it could be kept up to date. No software updates for it were ever issued, no matter how badly broken the included software was. That was the one that worked as a PDA, but the phone app would silently crash with no obvious sign that it wasn't working until you tried to make a call.
Four times bitten, now shy. I will NOT be bothering them again.
Microsoftt? Miss the ball? No.. they think you;re MEANT to miss the ball, so they never even try and keep up with it. My HD2 Runs Android almost flawlessly (and the flaws are less than the flaws inherent with the native WinMo 6,5 shite) What can it offer that free alternatives can't?
Lock-in? Er.. yeah. I'll pass.
I was perfectly happy with my TyTnII and its excellent Exchange integration before I left it in a taxi (silly me). MS are late the market with touch and Apple virtually killed them and everyone else by having an App strategy (yup, just by having a strategy - it didn't even need to be particularly good when the rest of the handset/OS makers had no strategy at all).
The new Windows phones will sell on their own merits (or not, if they're as retarded as Kin).
If it is:
1. Reasonably lean
2. Easy to use
3. Easy to develop for ( probably )
4. Open, unlike Apple (this I think will not be true)
5. Reliable
6. 'secure'
Then... I think it will be interesting. But it's not going to be that way, is it? I'm not gone on the 'ad-serving' to tell you the truth. Very suspicious about it.
Nevertheless, maybe it's a good idea to fill the market with choice and see what works out.
(Personally I'd ike to see more open linux phones. Hope they get Maemo err.. Meego right, and get something out the door soon. Been tempted to get a n900 but reports on battery life are putting me off. I'm still waiting to see what Nokia does but I think it has its hands full with the N8 now.)
My girlfriend has the N900, and it's dog-ass slow when navigating menus and apps, plus the menu structure doesn't seem terribly logical! And to top it off, it's suffered complete hardware failure TWICE (although now I suspect it may be more to do with the way she uses it rather than anything else..). Shame really, there's a lot you can do with it...
On topic, I for one welcome our Gatesian mobile overlords. May they bring a dose of sanity to this fruit flavoured, robotic world!